Apistogrammas outside in Summer?

[awholley]

Has anyone had any positive experiences keeping Apistogrammas outside during the warm months?

My plan:

I am in Texas, and temperatures from May-September usually go from 75 at night to 90-100 during the day. A fairly large tank should avoid the extremes.

My plan:

Tanks: -50 gal rubbermaids -shaped long and low like a toolbox. Cover with framed window screen

Procedure:

1) Start now fill tubs with water and food source for algae:
2) In a week or two, infuse green water with daphnia culture.
3) When water starts to clear, ~20-30 add baby/juvenile Apistos to grow out and possibly some duckweed for cover.
4) Feed only if necessary (daphnia disappear);

I am not currently sure what I might do about circulation, considering the daphnia can't deal with it very well.

Experiences? Thoughts? Suggestions? Shoot-downs?

Alan

 

[mematrix]

Re to post

Hi Alan where in texas? I live just south of Dallas Ft worth in alvarado and I am giving the outdorrs apisto grow out a try also.

Sincerely Curtis

 

[awholley]

I'm in Plano, just north of Dallas. How are you planning to set up?

 

[mematrix]

Re to Alan

Hi Alan. Your Not to far away I will be at my GFs this evening in Carrolton just off GBF and 35e my cell # is 214-608-4188. We will have to get together and compare notes on our breeding and maintenence techs. So What do you keep? I have A. agassizii (red-tail), borellii, bitaeniata (reo-tefe) and sp. curutu, cacatuoides (dblred), cruzii/eunotus(tailstrip)not positive on ID, mcmasterii (Dbl red), panduro, pebas (Wild), rotpunkt (redspot), trifasciatas, NON apistos Dricossus filamentosus, taeniacara candidi, Nannacara anomala, and Blue rams. I posted my idea as to how I am thinking to do my outdoor growouts in the general dwarf cichlid sec here's the link http://forum.apistogramma.com/showthread.php?t=4370 I am really thinking on solar pwr for day and timmer on reg elect for nite. I have 2 of the big canister pond filters wet dry type that were given to me for the filtration part possibly my ponds last year got so dirty and dark I could not see anything in there. I tryed a small experiment with 6 rams last year and they survived when i brought them back in they were so much better looking than the ones I had inside.

Give me a call later tonite or when you see this post. Oh there is another texan here too Apistoranch

Sincerely Curtis

 

[awholley]

Tried that number and got a voice mail greeting from a woman, so wasn't sure if there was a typo on your cell number. You can email me under this same name at gmail.com It would be great to have someone to discuss things Apistogramma with.

My setup is small. 4 10 gals and a self-made 36-gal plexiglass tanksdivided into 3 tanks with permanent dividers. I have been buying RO water, but have ordered a 100GPD unit that should arrive this week.

I am keeping borelli, gibbiceps (or something like gibbiceps), and have widowed cacatuoides and hongsloi females. At the moment I have a single batch of borelli babies at about 1/2" and one surviving baby at about 1/2" from my only hongsloi spawing. I'm looking for a male Hongsloi, and will probably order a pair of triple-reds off Aquabid in the next few days. Have you found a good LFS for Apistos in DFW?

Alan

 

[mematrix]

Re to Alan

Hi Allan. I am sorry to have missed your call. It is the right cell you called it was my GFs before it became mine so her voice is on it I guess I should change it. LOL I was only over in carrolton for the nite and I am back in Alvarado now. I may be abel to get a Male cacatuoides male for you It won't be a fancy one (OF, trpred, Gold) But it will be a male with the dbl red and blue genes. I 'll have to get back to you on that. There are not any real good LFSs for apistos 4 that I know of in the DFW area. 3 get them occasionally 1 Is fairly reg. You Can try that fish place on 30 and greenoaks blv in FT Worth Keller farms in Haltom on 377 3-4 blocks south on 377 off N 820, Boutique pet ctr In Dallas can't remember the st. and the fish gallery off park lane I think I am a land mark driver so st names are not remembered well. LOL fish gallery is the one most likely to have apistos. next is Boutique they get some in and also get some from a man who goes to peru and collects them breeds them and sells the F1s to them some times he sells the wilds after he gets some spawns I got my wild pebas from him. Don't know if you checked out my phot link in my sig there are pics of most of my apistos there. the others are iffy when it comes to apistos though the fish place is trying to better I recomend going to the fih place it is a very nice LFS. Oh I forgot to say I have 24 tanks up and running.

Sincerely Curtis

 

[mooman]

Maybe use screen that is large enough to admit mosquitos. Just a suggestion.

 

[awholley]

Maybe use screen that is large enough to admit mosquitos. Just a suggestion.

Hmm. Well I was trying to minimize that because we live in a west-nile infected area and the tubs will be in close proximity to our pool. I figure a fair amount will find their way under the screen anyway.

Alan

 

[Apisto ranch]

Hey Man Curtis why havn't you told me abou this post. I have just set my system up and it's going to ready in the next few days for the bala's and the others I'm planing on adding. I figured sents all the indoor tanks have stoped spwaning . Maybe the outdoor tank sould be better off. LOL awholly I have 15 full reds males with out females if you should need acouple. Crutis knows how to get a hold of me. are give me a shout at www.lonestarfishranch.com nice to see another Texan on here as well.

 

[awholley]

You're not really putting fish out NOW are you? Today it's like 55 degrees here, and I know it's colder in Amarillo!

My tubs are outside getting "green", and I'll put the daphnia in soon, but I don't plan on putting any fish out before late May or June.

Alan

 

[Marc]

Hi Alan,

I am not currently sure what I might do about circulation, considering the daphnia can't deal with it very well.
Experiences? Thoughts? Suggestions? Shoot-downs?

We start to set up some tanks outside. From 10.5 to 50 gallons. But with absolutely no technical equipment. No extra heating (the costs for electric power are very high in germany), no circulation, nothing. Depending to the temperature in North Germany, it is not possible to keep other apistos then borellii outside. Nights with temp. of 68 or more are very rare. Following this, we must look for other species like Cichlasoma sp. aff. "facetum" and maybe, some Corydoras or East African Killis.

You can find some very interesting discussions here (but just in german language, sorry) or here.

Marc

 

[awholley]

Thanks Marc. I will try to read through that sometime. I took a look, but my 2 years of German study from 25 years ago allows me to understand just enough to be really frustrated! <grin>

 

[Marc]

Maybe that babelfish ist helpful? If not, feel free to ask for transaltion help... but it is possible, that babelfish is the even better, less confusing alternative. :biggrin:

 

[awholley]

Lesson learned #1

A 50 gallon tub can evaporate to less than two gallons in two days of Texas sun if it is dark blue and allowed full sunlight.

I alost lost all my juvenile borelli. If my son had not gone out to check on them today, I'd have had a tub of bird fodder tomorrow.

Alan